Doctors at the University of Kansas Health System today reported their highest COVID-19 inpatient numbers.
According to the doctors, there were 44 active COVID-19 patients in the KU Health System in Kansas City, Kansas, on Wednesday morning, an increase of four since Tuesday morning.
Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control, said there were 15 COVID-19 patients in the intensive care unit and seven on ventilators. Also, there were 29 other COVID-19 inpatients who are in the COVID-19 recovery phase at the hospital, a decrease of four from Tuesday.
At HaysMed in Hays, Kansas, there were 18 COVID-19 inpatients, with 17 active and one in the recovery phase, he said.
Higher numbers in the hospitals at some point could potentially affect the hospitals’ ability to care for the patients, if there are not enough beds or not enough staff members available. The higher numbers often translate into increased deaths. Currently, they have enough capacity, according to the doctors.
Dr. Steven Stites, chief medical officer at KU Health System, said overall, COVID-19 numbers have been going up in hospitals in Greater Kansas City.
He said while they won’t know the complete effects of gatherings at Halloween until two to six weeks later, they are starting to see rises.
Dr. Hawkinson said there have been COVID-19 cases that have come out of Halloween gatherings already.
Dr. Stites said he had seen gatherings of adults on Halloween where a lot of them were not wearing masks.
Dr. Hawkinson said the shameful thing is that if younger people spread it, in two to three infections down the line, it comes to vulnerable populations, including friends and loved ones.
“Now we have the holidays coming up, and that is going to make for not very good holidays,” Dr. Hawkinson said.
The KU news conference on Wednesday morning included information about how to safely handle food at meals, especially with holidays coming up.
Dr. Stites said people may not be able to do everything they want this year at Thanksgiving. They may not be able to have large gatherings of family. However, they can have a family online gathering, he said. Think that it is different, not that it is bad, he said, and focus on things they can be grateful for.
The odds of having a much better Thanksgiving next year are pretty good, he said.
Some of the food guidelines discussed included: Keep any gatherings small. Wear masks when not eating and space guests at least six feet apart. Plate the dinner for the guests and serve it, and don’t pass bowls. Don’t share serving utensils. Discard food that has been out for more than two hours. Reheat leftovers to 165 degrees. Use refrigerated leftovers within three to four days and frozen leftovers within two to six months.
Also, people could try to seat guests separately by household, and eat outside if the weather permits. Turkey should be cooked to 165 degrees, using a meat thermometer to measure it.
At the Tuesday KU doctors’ news conference, KU Professor Donna Ginther showed her research about mask mandates. The mandates have been very effective in stopping the spread of COVID-19, according to Dr. Ginther.
Counties in Kansas that enacted mask mandates had a decrease in cases 14 days later, while non-masking counties showed a steady increase, according to her research. The counties with mask mandates had a 50 percent decrease in COVID-19 cases, she said.
Wyandotte County reported 8,508 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, Nov. 3. It was an additional 32 cases compared to Monday. There were no additional deaths, for a cumulative total of 165.
Free COVID-19 testing available Wednesday
A free COVID-19 pop-up test will continue from 3 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4, at Faith Deliverance Family Worship Center, 3043 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas.
The pop-up test is through Vibrant Health and the Wyandotte County Health Equity Task Force.
The Unified Government Health Department has moved its COVID-19 testing from the 6th and Ann location to the former Kmart at 78th and State Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas. The hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Tests are free for those who live or work in Wyandotte County. The tests are now saliva COVID-19 tests.
The tests now are open to asymptomatic people as well as those who have symptoms or have been exposed to COVID-19. Check with the UG Health Department’s Facebook page to see if there have been any changes in the schedule because of the weather or for other reasons. Bring something that shows that you live or work in Wyandotte County, such as a utility bill.
For more information about the new testing site at the former Kmart location, visit https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/10092020_newtestingsitewyco.pdf.
The Wednesday KU doctors’ news conference is at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/358446335483349.
The Tuesday KU doctors’ news conference is at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/709722956337071.
The UG COVID-19 webpage is at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information.
The KDHE’s COVID-19 webpage is at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/.
The KC Region COVID-19 Hub dashboard is at https://marc2.org/covidhub/.
The CDC’s COVID-19 webpage is at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html.